Horizon Europe

Current status of the UK 

• Current status of UK applicants in Horizon Europe

  • The UK and EU agreed the terms of the UK’s association to EU Programmes through the Trade Cooperation Agreement (TCA) in December 2020. Delays to the adoption of EU programme regulations by the European Parliament prevented the immediate adoption of Protocol 1, finalising this agreement.  
  • However, both the UK and EU set out their clear expectation that the agreement on UK participation means that access to programme actions for UK applicants would be unhindered whilst final adoption of the Protocol was pending.  
  • As the adoption of the Protocol remains pending, UK applicants can continue to apply for Horizon Europe calls as if the UK is already associated to the programme. In fact, the EU’s own published guidance makes clear that UK applicants should be able to continue to participate in programme actions as if association had already taken place.  
  • We therefore encourage the UK sector to continue applying to Horizon Europe calls and to continue forming consortia.

• For UK applicants in consortia building projects

  • UK partners remain eligible to apply as funding beneficiaries for Horizon grants.  
  • The European Commission (EC) has indicated that it will take a flexible approach and give consortia time to put in place contingencies in cases where there are any issues at a later stage as a result of delays to association.   
  • The UK is pushing for association as soon as possible and once associated you’ll be able to sign a grant agreement with the EU. 
  • If you approach the final grant signature date and then the UK hasn’t associated then you should look for ways to continue as an Associated Partner and, if relevant, explore whether you can continue as a de factor coordinator but with another coordinator name listed.  
  • If the EU completes the UK’s association, successful UK applicants who have not yet signed a grant agreement with UKRI under the guarantee will be able to sign grant agreements with the EC.

• Support available for UK applicants

  Financial Guarantee: 

  • To support UK researchers and innovators and to provide funding certainty, we launched the Horizon Europe guarantee in November 2021. This is in place to ensure that eligible UK applicants who have been successfully evaluated by the EC have access to funding regardless of whether the UK associates to Horizon Europe, if the EC final grant signature date is on or before 30 June 2023.  
  • Please see the guidance for UK entities on how to apply for the guarantee scheme at the UKRI Website.

  Transitional measures:  

  • Given the ongoing delay to our association, it is only right and responsible that we are prepared for all outcomes, to ensure we deliver what is in the best interest of the UK sector. The length of these delays – now lasting over eighteen months – has had significant impacts for UK researchers, organisations and industry on the ground.   
  • The UK government has therefore published details of a proposed package of transitional measures that would come into force if association is no longer possible, which would be stood up in time to ensure that the UK’s still derives good value from Horizon Europe. 
  • Our plan for transitional measures is well developed and preparations to implement them have already begun with UKRI and the National Academies. They will be stood up quickly if we are unable to associate and will remain in place only as long as it takes to establish the long-term programme. In the event we are unable to associate, these long-term programmes would focus on building on UK strengths and making the UK a destination of choice. 
  • The transitional measures include the Horizon Europe Guarantee, funding for successful, in-flight applications, uplifts to existing talent programmes and innovation support, the talent and stabilisation fund, and third country participation.  
  • For more information on how the UK transitional measures are supporting UK R&D and collaborative research beyond European programmes please visit the gov.uk page here.